Former Warrior Eric Bryan Dies at Twenty-Five

Eric Bryan Photo Courtesy / Eric Bryan
Eric Bryan Photo Courtesy / Eric Bryan
Eric Bryan
Photo Courtesy / Eric Bryan

By Kathleen Kraemer
Editor-in-Chief

ESU graduate Eric Bryan, 25, died Aug. 6 at Temple University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Bryan was an honors student at Roxborough High School in his home town, Philadelphia, and graduated from ESU with a communication studies degree in 2014.

Bryan was a forward for the Warrior’s Men’s Basketball team for his four years at ESU.

Standing at 6-foot-6, Bryan played 113 games. He was a senior on the 2012 PSAC championship team as well as two other teams that reached the Final Four.

Bryan was also on two NCAA Tournament teams in 2010 and 2012.

Bryan had 599 points, 462 rebounds and 63 blocked shots credited to his name in his four years at ESU. He helped the Warriors to 76 wins.

During the summer, Bryan worked as a referee for the “Turning the Hearts” basketball league run through the Labor of Love USA church in East Stroudsburg P.A.

The “Turning the Hearts” basketball league hopes to function “as an outlet to reach inner city youth making it affordable, competitive and faith based.”

The basketball league has a grade requirement for members, encouraging the students to keep their grades up in order to be allowed to play.

Following his graduation from ESU, Bryan began working for Northwest Human Services where he assisted and worked with autistic children.

According to the obituary published on the Beckett-Brown and Hodges Funeral Home website, Bryan “aspired to play professional basketball and had plans of playing overseas in Europe very soon.”
“Eric was a phenomenal young man,” it continued, “with a very memorable smile, personality, and a resilient attitude. To know him was to love him!”

As with Sam Agins, Bryan’s friends and family also took to social media, this time with the hashtag #PrayForEB.

Searching this hashtag reveals a multitude of individuals mourning the loss of Bryan and celebrating his life.

Twitter user @Efia_Trueheart tweeted “#prayforEB is more than just a hashtag. It’s a collective effort to lift him up in prayer & send positive thoughts to his family and friends”

The hashtag was also used in an attempt to raise money to cover Bryan’s funeral expenses.

The fundraiser page on youcaring.com raised $9,671 of its $10,000 goal through donations as well as through the sale of T-shirts in honor of Bryan.

Email Kathleen at:
kkraemer2@live.esu.edu